Andy Robertson has made his name in the last 12 months as a cult hero and marauding left-back for Liverpool.
But he is not afraid to admit the influence of the current Everton manager on the way his career has gone skywards in such a short space of time.
Robertson only worked with Marco Silva for a few months at Hull City in 2017. But it had a lasting impact.
The Portuguese tapped into the Scot’s undoubted potential and his performances were such that Robertson was snapped up that summer for a bargain £8 million by Jurgen Klopp.
The Scotland captain will face his old manager today when they are on opposite sides for the Merseyside derby. And Robertson knows how he will have been singled out by Silva during his tactical briefings in the lead-up to the game.
“Marco was big for me,” explains the Liverpool left-back. “He improved all of us when he came in at Hull. He is someone I always think kindly of but of course he is now at the local rivals!
“Obviously he came in and worked individually with all the players, but for me he brought me on defensively and going forward as well even if it was a short space of time.
“Every week was different. Marco does his research. I am probably part of that research now. He looks at every player his team is against and he can point out the strengths and weaknesses they have.
“It was also the first time I had worked for a foreign manager. I was used to Steve Bruce, Mike Phelan and Scottish managers up the road.
“It was good to get a feel for the foreign way because the styles are very different. I think it stood me in good stead to come in here and work under this manager. It probably helped me to settle in a wee bit.”
Sadly for Robertson and Silva, they were relegated with Hull two years ago. It was the second time that the defender suffered that fate during his time on Humberside.
So when he keeps hearing talk about the pressure of trying to end Liverpool’s 29-year wait for a league title and the burden of history that comes with it, Robertson tries to find some perspective.
Being involved in a thrilling title race with Manchester City that looks set to run until May sure beats trying to get the better of the likes of Sunderland and Crystal Palace in relegation scraps.
“Trust me, it’s a lot nicer feeling to be going for a title than fighting relegation,” he says. “I have experienced it twice and especially the first time, I had to deal with the consequences.
“We went down to the Championship and I saw people lose their jobs and us as players getting 50 per cent wage reductions. Ultimately, we failed the fans and everyone connected with the club.
“That pressure is a different pressure. It is not a nice one. This is an enjoyable pressure, going for a title, for trophies and medals, bragging rights and everything.
“Of course people on the outside will talk about the pressure but I think games help us. The lads are looking forward to every game and I don’t think that will change right up to the end.
“We have got to enjoy it. We showed on Wednesday against Watford that we are enjoying the chase.
“We just need to continue our form and see where that takes us. Whether it’s enough, we will find out.”
